Beer Appreciation Course in Dublin

Dionysus

Hi!

I hope this is the board. I'm looking for somewhere in Dublin that is running a beer appreciation course. In particular, I'm looking for the background and techniques behind the fermenting process, the history and development of world beers and the differences between ales, lagers and porters and how each of them developed, and why.

I know this request might be a bit esoteric but I'm doing a thesis on early modern history and am encountering micro breweries everywhere, and building up a previously unknown picture of the social landscape. Nonetheless, I haven't a clue about the production of beer in the present time, so perhaps a course would give the history of the development of beer.

If there is such a thing as a "beer buff" this history buff would like to know more of this! Recommended readings would also be much appreciated.

Thanks. Dionysus.

BeerNut

Hi Dionysus. Come and join IrishCraftBrewer.com. You may not get conclusive answers but there's a hell of a lot of beer knowledge among the members.

The nearest thing to an actual class in beer appreciation is probably a seat at the bar in the Bull & Castle. If they're doing their jobs properly they should be able to take you through the genres in delicious detail.

Dionysus

Thanks so much, Beernut. (I didn't expect an answer so soon). I was evidently doing all the wrong Google searches: the word "craft" never entered any of them.

I've registered now, so will post my queries there in the next night of two. I never knew that the Bull and Castle was a microbrewery, so that's fantastic to know. I was there years ago for some of the Sult nights, so I'll definitely be going back now. I always thought the Porterhouse was it as far as microbreweries in Dublin were concerned.

Thanks again.

BeerNut

Dionysus wrote:

I never knew that the Bull and Castle was a microbrewery, so that's fantastic to know.

The Bull & Castle isn't a microbrewery, it just has a large beer selection and a policy of putting beer-savvy staff behind the bar. The Porterhouse has no such policy, and has a record of ignorant beer behaviour, especially regarding serving beer in inappropriate glassware. Yes it does make a difference .

The only other microbrewery in Dublin is Messrs Maguire on Burgh Quay by O'Connell Bridge. Again, how much the actual staff on-site will be able to tell you about beer and brewing is questionable.

To begin to some way answer your question (and I trust someone will jump in if I get this wrong): ale is basically the default beer: it ferments at room temperature so would have been the standard household beer for millennia. Porter/stout and weissbier work much the same way, just using different grains and sometimes different yeasts. Homebrewers consider these the "easy" beers. They are described as "top fermenting" because the yeast floats on top of the liquid as they ferment.

Lager works differently and has to ferment at lower temperatures. The yeast sinks to the bottom, so it is described as "bottom fermenting". It originated in central Europe but became fashionable throughout the world in the 1840s. It was from here that it became the world's dominant beer style.

Right. What've I got wrong in that?

oblivious

You can bring us out for a few pints and we will tell you all you want to now:D

There was one run down in one of the pub’s in the IFSC, but from what I hear it was nothing really more than a marketing campaign

The Irish craft brewers will be have another meeting at the Bull & Castle in the not to distant future and you would be welcome to come along